A team including Apple, Microsoft and RIM is being charged of colluding to hinder Google from purchasing copyrights of Nortel Network to defend Android. Regulators are checking into it.

The Ad-hoc copyright team that presented $4.5 billion for bankrupt Nortel Networks’ 6,000 copyrights is encountering antitrust scrutiny for perhaps conniving to keep the technology from Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) clutches.

Nortel June 30 sold its copyrights to Rockstar Bidco LP, the group consisting of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM), Sony, EMC (NYSE:EMC) and Ericsson.

The sale was a blow to Google, which begun the bidding by giving Nortel $900 million for the copyrights back in April. Copyright-poor Google wished for the copyrights to defend its Android mobile operating system from boosting proceedings from Apple, Microsoft and others attempting to fight with the open source platform.

The American Antitrust Institute sent a letter to the Justice Department inquiring antitrust administrators to start an inspection of the sale prior to July 11, which is when courts in Canada and the U.S. are anticipated to support or strike down the agreement.

The American Antitrust Institute distinguished that the $4.5 billion buy cost is five times what Google gave to begin the auction bidding, increasing questions concerning why the consortium members cannot do something alone.

AAI particularly pointed to Apple, Microsoft and RIM, which all produce smartphone software and each by now own big portfolio of wireless technology copyrights.

AAI noted, “Why, in this light, should ANY horizontal collaboration among them (joined by three others with strong portfolios of their own as well) be allowed with regard to the Nortel portfolio, particularly in the absence of any transparent safeguards against anticompetitive effects from it?”

“Three close competitors’ shared control over 6,000 patents surely at a minimum creates significant risk of spillover collusion, tacit or otherwise.”

The federal antitrust enforcers are inspecting whether the companies are unjustly colluding to chunk Google from purchasing technology copyrights that would defend its open source Android mobile platform. It is not clear whether the DOJ or Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is looking into the matter.

Copyright proceedings against Android smartphone manufacturers are widespread and pervasive. Apple is prosecuting Motorola over its Android line.

Google itself is presently encountering a severe court case from Oracle, which can enjoin it from giving Android and gain important damages if it wins the case.

Google had expected copyrights of Nortel, which consist of those for Long Term Evolution wireless technology more and more utilized in smartphones nowadays, would give several guards from the suits.

Google has little defense against lawyers seeking to develop copyright law that has so far to sufficiently recompense for the quick-changing tech sector.